The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to techniques for improving the control of various devices included in an information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to acquire, process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system (‘IHS’) generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Today, due to advances in the ease-of-use of information handling systems such as personal computers, coupled with technological advances such as incorporating ‘intelligence’ in many devices of the IHS such as digital cameras, printers and communication cards, users are able to enjoy the benefits of a truly plug-and-play type integration environment on their information handling systems. The hardware and software to operate many of these devices is typically factory installed. In some cases, a user may install new devices as add-ons. In these cases, the plug-and-play functionality automatically detects the new hardware and assists the user in loading the appropriate device driver software.
Presently, the IHS system and/or the user typically control the operation of the devices. Various well-known hardware and/or software methods are typically used for controlling the device. The control mechanism also includes a feedback mechanism from the device to the IHS system and/or the user. For example, the hardware method may simply include operating an on/off switch that may be present on each of the devices. In some cases, hardware devices having modular form-factors such as wireless network cards used in a portable IHS may be physically removed to control the operation of the device. In some IHS components such as cellular phones and pagers, a master hardware switch may be operated to power down or power up the device. Many computers may be completely shut off using a software mechanism. In some cases, the user may control the device by controlling the operation of the software driver or user interface for the device.
However, the operation of the devices, which are being controlled by the various well-known hardware and/or software methods, has generally been inconsistent and unsynchronized. This limitation has generally resulted in a lack of co-ordination of all inputs and outputs of the device being controlled, and a lack of adequate feedback to the user regarding the present operating state of the device. For example, a user may click on a wireless radio icon located in a system tray (‘systray’) portion of a display window and marked with a red ‘X’ to turn the device on. The hardware for the wireless radio device may be turned on, however the software may still be disabled thereby preventing the operation of the radio device. The present hardware and/or software methods used to control the radio device do not provide sufficient feedback to the user. As a result, the user is often not fully aware of why the radio device is not operational as instructed.
Therefore, a need exists to improve the control of various devices included in an IHS. More specifically, a need exist to develop tools and techniques for controlling these devices with improved consistency, synchronization and adequate feedback. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide tools and techniques for improving the controls of devices included in an IHS absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above.